Machine for packing pulverulent material



mi? 28, 1936. K. MHDDELBOE 2639257 MACHINE FOR PACKING PULVERULENT MATERIAL Filed Dec. 28, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR aW ATTORNEYS Amifi 28, E936. MHDDELBQE 2,039,257

MACHINE FOR PACKING PULVERULENT MATERIAL Filed Dec. 28, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO I BY I 2 Z ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE MACHINE FOR PACKING PULVERULENT MATERIAL Jersey Application December 28, 1932, Serial No. 649,176 In Great Britain January 1, 1932 Claims. (01. 24958) This invention relates to machinesfor packing pulverulent material, such as cement, into containers and particularly into bags which, during the filling, are supported upon the filling spouts of the machine. Machines of this general character, or parts thereof, are shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,747,312 dated February 18, 1930, No. 1,851,017 dated March 29, 1932 and No. 1,903,188 dated March 28, 1933, and in v pending application Serial No. 551,697, filed July 18, 1931. In the operation of such machines the release of the bag from the filling spout is accomplished automatically by devices which mov'e with respect to the filling mechanism or with re- I spect to which the filling mechanism moves. It

' is important, in the operation of such machines that each bag be filled with a substantially precise weight of the material delivered to the bag and it is the object of this invention to provide improved devices whereby the release of underweight bags, that is, of bags which have not been filled to the required weight shall be prevented. In accordance with the invention the releasing mechanism is prevented from operation when the weighing mechanism of the machine is not in equilibrium and when the device provided for shutting off the flow of material into the bag has not been moved to stop the flow.

' The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which it is illustrated, and in which:

Figure 1 is a partial view in sectional elevation of a rotary packing machine in which the invention is incorporated.

Figure 2 is a detail View in section on the irregular plane indicated by the broken line 11-11 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the parts in the positions which they assume when the bag is released.

Figure 4 is a detail view in section on the plane indicated by the broken line IVIV of Figure 3.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are detail views, partly in section on the plane indicated by the broken line IIII of Figure 1 and partly in elevation, illustrating different positions of the mechanism for keeping in open position the devices which control the flow of material from the supply tank.

Figure 8 is a detail View, partly in section, on the plane indicated by the broken line VIII-VIII of Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a partial view similar to Figure 2, but showing the parts in different positions and showing'also a cam or guide rail which coacts with such parts.

Figures 10 and 11 are detail views illustrating more particularly the construction of the presser by which the bag is held on the filling spout, Figure 10 being a view in. section on the plane indishowing the guide rails or cams in their relation to the rollers with which they coact.

Figure 14 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the movement of a bag from the point at which it is placed on the filling spout to the point at which it is discharged.

' In the machine which has been chosen for illustration as an embodiment of the invention the tank I which receives the material to be fed into the bags is arranged to rotate about its'axis, indicated by the broken line 2, and is provided in its bottom with outlet openings 3 (only one of which is shown) disposed in a circle. Through such openings the material to be packed flows downward into a filling spout 4 formed with a portion which enters the bag and on which the bag is supported during the filling. The filling spout is suspended from the weighing mechanism (which may be of usual construction, such as that shown at W in Figure 1, and will be understood without detailed description) by rods 5 whichmove vertically in the operation of the weighing mechanism and may be guided by brackets, one of which is shown at 6, fixed'to the tank I. It will be understood that several of such filling spouts, usually from five to twelve, with their coacting parts, are carried by the tank, each of the filling spouts communicating with the interior of the tank through the corresponding outlet 3. In the operation of such packing machines an empty bag is placed on the filling spout by the attendant, as the spout moves past him, but the operations, such as the opening of the outlet to permit the flow of the material, the weighing of the filled bag, the cutting ofi of the flow of the material, and the release of the completely filled bag, are all carried out automatically by the machine in its rotation.

The two parallel suspending rods 5 are conheated by a supporting member 5 to which are secured upper and lower cones 5 The bracket 6, secured to the tank I, is provided with conical seats 6 which, in cooperation with the cones 5 limit the upward and downward movement of the rods 5 and prevent the transmission of undue pressure and shock to the weight beam of the weighing mechanism.

mounted on a spindle I2 fixed to the tank I.

Each outlet opening 3 is provided with a flexible outlet spout 1, the flow of material through such outlet spout being controlled by a pin 8 which is moved toward the outlet spout to compress the same against a stop 9 (Figure 2) to cut off the fiow of material at the proper time and is moved away from the spout to permit the fiow of material. In the construction shown the pin 8, as shown particularly in Figures 1, 2, 8 and 9, is carried by an arm ID of a four-armed lever As the function of the mechanism of which the pin 8 forms a part is to control the flow of material through the flexible outlet 1 and is therefore analogous to the function of a valve the pin 8, in coaction with the flexible spout 1 may be regarded and termed for convenience as a valve and the controlling mechanism may be termed valve mechanism. An arm III of the four-armed lever referred to provided with a counterweight III provides the force, when released, by which the pin 8 is caused to compress the flexible spout 1 and prevent the flow of material through the spout and through the corresponding filling spout 4. To hold the valve mechanism in open position there is provided a third arm I I of the fo1narmed lever which, as shown most clearly in Figure 6, carries a spring-actuated'latch I3 which normally engages the recess I4 in a rotatable boss or shaft I5 supported by the bracket 6, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The boss or shaft I5 carries a finger IE to cooperate with a detent I1 pivotally mounted on the spindle I2 and held normally in operative position, to prevent swinging movement of the finger I6 to the left, by a counterweight I8. It will be observed that so long as the finger I6 is engaged by the detent I1 the movement of the valve mechanism, under the influence of the counterweight ID on the arm I II, to close the valve and stop the flow of material from the tank is prevented, and that when the detent I1 is disengaged from the finger I6 the pressure exerted by the counterweight III through the arm II and the latch I3 will swing the boss or shaft I5 and finger I6 from the position shown in Figure 6 to the position shown in Figure 7 thereby permitting the force exerted by the counterweight II'I to close the valve. For the purpose of resetting the valve mechanism the counterweight Ill is raised by means to be referred to and the spring-pressed latch I3, in the movement of the arm I I to the right, as shown in Figure 5, slips by the boss or shaft I5 which, with its finger I6, returns to initial position as soon as the arm I I has been released. To effect the disengagement of the detent I1 from the finger I6 there is carried by one of the rods 5 a finger I9 which, in the downward movement of the rods 5, bears upon the detent I1 and depresses it against the action of the counterweight I8. It will be understood that when the valve mechanism is restored to initial position shown in Figures 2, 6 and 9, the valve 1, 8, 9 is opened and flow of material from the tank through the filling chute is permitted.

The resetting of the valve mechanism to permit the fiow of the material from the tank through the filling spout takes place immediately after the bag has been placed on the filling spout, as indi cated at A in Figure 14. To accomplish such resetting of the valve mechanism a fourth arm II a of the four-armed lever above referred to is provided with a roller 20 which, in the continued rotation of the machine, rides upon a cam or guide rail 13 and is thereby raised, restoring the valve mechanism to its initial position against the force of the weight I0 the valve mechanism being retained in this position during the filling of the bag through the engagement of the arm II with the boss or shaft I5, which is itself held in looking position by the engagement of the finger IS with the detent I1.

To retain the bag in position on the filling spout 4, during the filling, the filling spout being then held in the position shown in Figure 1, there is provided a presser 2|, shown in Figures 1, 3, 10 and 11, which is pivotally mounted in a frame carried in the lower end of the rods 5 and formed by bars 5 5 The presser 2I comprises an arm 2 I arranged to bear against the bag on the filling spout, and a counterweighted arm 2I which carries a cross-piece 2 I for engagement with the supporting frame to prevent excessive movement, all being pivotally mounted in the frame as at 2 I During the filling operation, when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 1, the presser holds the bag firmly upon the filling spout and the presser is so designed that any slight slipping of the bag tends to increase the pressure and so prevent accidental discharge of the bag from the filling spout until, when the bag has been completely filled and the suspending rods 5 move downward, the filling spout, which is pivotally mounted on the bars 5, as at 22, swings from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 3, under the influence of the weight of the filling spout and of the bag thereon, and permits the bag to be discharged under the influence of gravity from the filling spout. It will be seen, by reference to Figures 1 and 3, that the arms 2 I and 2I form an angle slightly less than and that at the time when the bag is slipped upon the filling spout, as represented in Figure 1, the cross piece 2 I stands slightly above the bars 5. Therefore, any slight slipping of the bag on the spout tends to swing the arm 2I toward a position at right angle with the filling spout. In this position of the parts the pressure of the foot of the arm Ill upon the filling spout and the interposed bag is increased.

Until such time as the bag has been completely filled and the weight of the completely filled bag has overbalanced the weighing mechanism, the bars 5 and their associated devices remain in or near their highest position, as shown in Figure 1, and a finger 23 of the arm which supports the filling spout bears against a stop 24 carried by a lever 25 pivotally mounted, as at 25, on the rods 5 and provided at its other end with a roller 26. When the bag, in the rotation of the machine, arrives at the position at which, if properly filled, it should be discharged from the filling spout, the roller 26 stands over a guide rail or lifter 21 which is carried by a lever 28, supported in a bracket 29. If the bag has been properly filled the guide rail or lifter 21, being then held in the position shown in Figure 3, causes the roller 26 to be raised and thereby to raise the stop 24 out of the path of the finger 23 and so permit the filling spout to swing to the position shown in Figure 3 and discharge the properly filled bag. The lever 25 may be loaded by a spring-pressed link 25 to prevent accidental movement of the lever 25.

The lever 28, which carries the guide rail 21, the position of which is indicated in Figure 14, is counterweighted, as at 30, and is held from excessive movement under the influence of the counterweight by a stop 3| carried by bracket 29. It is held in the position shown in Figure 3, which aces-ps7 it should occupy when the bag has beenproperly filled and should be discharged-from the-filling spout, by a rod 32 which, when in normalposbtion, bears upon the left hand end of the lever 28 and soholds that lever in operative position to eiiect the discharge of the bag. I The rod 32, as shown clearly in Figures 12 and 13, depends from a shaft 33 supported by the machinesf-rame.

. When the rod is vertical, as shown in Figure 12,

it overlies the left hand end of the lever 28 and so holds the guide rail 21 in operative position in which the roller 26 is compelled to ride up on the guide rail, as indicated in Figure 12. iThe shaft .33 carries at its right hand end a guide rail 34 which is arranged to. coact with the roller 20 of the valve mechanism. It will be understood that unless the bag on the filling spout has been properly filled and the valve mechanism has been released to shut off the flow of material from the tank through the filling spout the roller 20 will be retained in its highest position, as shown in Figure 2, and therefore when the roller 20 passes under the guide rail 34 it will rock the guide rail 34 and the shaft 33 and will swing the rod 32 from its vertical position shown in Figure 12 to the left, as shown in Figure 13. The lever 28 will then be free to be rocked in a clockwise direction (as seen in Figure 1) and the guide rail 21 will therefore fail to raise the roller 26 of the lever 25 as the roller 26 rides over the guide rail 21, so that the filling spout will not be permitted to swing about its axis 22 and the improperly filled bag will not be released from the filling spout. In this manner the discharge of an incompletely filled bag from the filling spout is prevented, such incompletely filled bag remaining on the filling spout during the continued rotation of the machine. The material will therefore continue to run into, the bag until the bag is completely filled and the discharge of the bag effected at the point indicated in Figure 14.

It will be understood that in the normal operation of the machine a bag is slipped by the attendant on the filling spout as the filling spout passes the attendant and that the fiow of material into the bag is permitted immediately thereafter through the opening of the valve. When, in the continued rotation of the machine, the bag under consideration reaches the point indicated at 21 in Figure 14, it is at once discharged from the machine if it has been completely filled. If, however, it has not been filled completely its discharge is prevented and it continues through another circuit, the fiow of material into the bag being continued until the bag is completely filled, at which time the fiow ceases by reason of the accumulation of the material in the bag.

It will be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement can be made to suit different conditions of operation or the convenience of the manufacturer and that except as pointed out in the accompanying claims, the invention is not limited to the particular construction shown and. described herein.

I claim as my invention:

1. A machine for filling containers with pulverulent material, comprising a supply tank, a pivoted filling spout through which the material is delivered from the supply tank into the container to be filled, weighing mechanism including a vertically movable suspending rod connected to the weighing mechanism and supporting the container being filled, a stop to prevent the swinging of the filling spout on its pivot,

means tomove the'stop-at a predetermined'point -mechanism acting to "prevent the operation of the first named means unless the suspending rod .hasnmoved downwardwith the weight of a-completely-;filled container.

1246. machine for filling containers with pulverulent material, comprising a supply tank, weighing mechanism including a vertically movable suspending rod connected to the weighing mechanisms filling spout through which the materialisydelivered from the supply tank into the container tobe' filled, the spout being movably supported by the suspending rod and adapted to support the container being filled, means acting normally to prevent movement of the filling spout to permit discharge of the container therefrom, a presser carried by the suspending rod for coaction with the filling spout, means in operative relation with the weighing mechanism to render said means inoperative and thereby permit the filling spout to move and discharge the container at a predetermined point in the operation of the machine, and other means to render said last named means inoperative unless the suspending rod has moved downward with the weight of a completely filled container.

3. A machine for filling containers with pulverulent material, comprising a supply tank, weighing mechanism, including a vertically movable suspending rod connected to the weighing mechanism, a filling spout through which the material is delivered from the supply tank into the container to be filled, the spout, being pivotally mounted on the suspending rod and having an extended finger, the filling spout acting to support the container when in normal position and to discharge the container when swung from normal position toward the vertical, alever also mounted on the suspending rod and carrying a stop normally in the path of said finger to prevent the filling spout from discharging movement, a second lever, a guide rail carried by the second lever for cooperation with the first named lever, a holding device to maintain said second lever and guide rail in operative position, and means in operative relation with the weighing mechanism to disengage said holding device. and thereby permit said second lever to yield without causing effective movement of the first named lever.

4. A machine for filling containers with pulverulent material, comprising a supply tank, weighing mechanism, including a vertically movable suspending rod connected to the weighing mechanism, a filling spout through which the material is delivered from the supply tank into the container to be filled, the spout being pivotally mounted on the suspending rod and having an extended finger, a lever also mounted on the suspending rod and carrying a stop normally in the path of the said finger to prevent the filling spout from discharging movement, a second lever, a guide rail carried by the second lever for cooperation with the first named lever, a holding device to maintain said second lever and guide rail in operative position, and means to disengage said holding device and thereby permit said second lever to yield without causing effective movement of the first named lever, said means comprising a holding rod, a movable shaft'to which the holding rod is secured, a guide rail carried by said shaft, and a device in operative relation with the supply tank and coacting' with said guide rail in the operation of the machine to rock said shaft and disengage said holding rod from said second lever. 5. A machine for filling containers with-pulverulent material, comprising a supply. atalnk, weighing mechanism, including a vertically .mo.v able suspending rod connected to theweighing mechanism, a filling spout through which the material is delivered from the supply tank into, the container to be filled, the spoutbeing pivotally mounted on the suspending rod and having an extended finger, a lever also mounted on the; suspending rod and carrying a stop normally in the path of the said finger, to prevent the filling spout from swinging and discharging movement, a second lever, a guide rail carried by the second lever for cooperation with the first named lever, a holding device to maintain said second lever and guide rail in operative position, and means to disengage said holding device and thereby permit said second lever to yield without causing eiiective movement of the first named lever, said means comprising a holding rod, a movable shaft to which the holding rod is secured, a guide rail carried by said shaft, a movable device to cooperate with said guide rail, means to hold said last named device in operative position, and means actuated by the downward movement of the suspending rod to release said last named device and render it'inoperative with respect to said guide rail.

KRISTIAN MIDDELBOE. 

